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Monday, April 10, 2017

resiliency toolkit: create something

some things i'm currently making: a painting, an outdoor oasis, a mala, a mural

building resiliency and regulation in our everyday lives is an essential life skill. there are many exercises and brain games we can learn to self-regulate after stress or trauma that are taught in specialized courses (and they are amazing).

often the most effective methods of regulation are built into our everyday lives. you are likely already doing them. being more intentional about naming them self-care and doing them on the regular (like every day) will go a long way to serve your body and soul and smooth out that hilly ride between sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.

you've seen the "how to take care of yourself lists", right? these activities are great, but sometimes they don't appeal to certain personalities or lifestyles. i like to think of resiliency-building occurring within four broad domains: creativity, reflection, movement, and connection. simply define how you care for yourself on the regular within these four domains and then mindfully do them.

let's start with creativity.

i am an artist, so making art is a huge part of this domain for me. but let me make this perfectly clear: you do not have to be an artist or do art to be creative. think of creativity as building or growing something positive, whether it's dinner, a poem, a garden, a song, a child, a home, a machine (you get the picture).

creating something employs the opposite energy of destruction. so much of our stress and trauma are about things being destroyed, whether it's a carefully scheduled day or the planet. use your creative energy to balance that. practicing creativity on a daily basis builds an inner reservoir of this energy for when destruction makes its expected visit.

using your hands, voice, and body to make and fix is also an effective way to discharge the energy of trauma. our bodies naturally want to build and repair and help. go with this instinct. put your hands to use.